Tube-forming machine.



L. 0. SMITH.

TUBE FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED. AUG. 10, 1903.

922,536., Patented May 25,1909.

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L. G. SMITH.

TUBE FORMING MACHINE. AiPLIGATION FILED AUG. 10. 1903.

922,536. Patented May 25, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNEJJEJ [JV vEzv To] M'EL- .ZESTE 6'. QYJTH L. 0. SMITH.

TUBE FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10. 1903.

Patented May 25, 1909.

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TUBE FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10. 1903.

Patented May 25', 1909.

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Q/QYTTOILVEY UNITE eras ATNT OFFICE.

LESTER C. SMITH, OF ROME, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO COE BRASS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

TUBE-FORMING MACHINE.

.Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 10, 1903. Serial No. 169,049.

Patented ma as 19 09.

T 0 all whom itma'y concern:

, Be it known that I, Lnsrnn O. SMITH, of Rome, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube-Forming-Mm chines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a tube forming machine, in which a com le'tely closed tube is formed in four passes t rough rolls, and in which certain novel features of construction are embodied.

In the drawing, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a machine embodying the features of my improvements, Fig. 2 shows an end view of the machine, showing the point at which the material enters, and the mechanism for lubricating one side of the strip and placinig'tension thereon, as well as clipping the edges of the strip. Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the part shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4

' shows a detail in sections of the mechanism ures in a more :particular description, A indicates the firstset of'rolls; B the second set C the third ser and D the fourth or last set of rolls employed in forming the tube. In ad- 4 vance of the train of. rolls mentioned is located the device E for lubricating the under side of the strip, clipping the edges thereof, and putting tension on the strip. This device E consists of a body portion-2, having platform or table 3 on which the strip .of

material to be operated is adapted to rest and slide. 'For pressing the strip on to the table, and thereby placing a tension thereon, there is provided a friction plate 4, the underside of which-is plain or fl at and substantially conforms to the surface of the table 3. At either side the clamping plate 4 are .provided verti- Fig. 16 shows a plan of a vertical slide or guide 3.58mi an adjusting screw 6.

cal walls 4*, in which are provided inclined grooves. These inclined groovesare adapted to receive the inclined ribs 5 provided'on the laterally slidable pieces -6 These side pieces 6 are ada ted, also, to act'as guides for the edge of t e material. These sides 6 are mounted on slidesin the body 2 to move transversely to theline of the strip, and=are operated inwardly and outwardly from the central line .by means of the rightand lefthand screws 7 and 8 .provided on the shaft .9,

extending through or under theframe, and having its end extended to receive a wrench for manipulating the screws. The amount that the sides open and close'is comparatively little and not sufiicient to disengage the slide ribs 5 from the grooves in the olampingplate.

On the outer-end of the shaft 9 there 'is secured anarm'or crank' 10, which has a pin 11 engaging between projections .12, 12 on one side of the clamping plate 4, and serving to move the clamping iplate backward and forward to a limited extent, -and, on account of it being mounted on the inclined ribs 5, causing it to move toward and from the sur-- face of the table 3. V

For limiting the movement of the clamping plate 4 in the direction toward the rollers, thereis provided a set screw 13 adapted to engage with a cross bar 14 and stop the forward movement of the clamping .plate .4.

For clipping the :edges of the material, there is provided a rotatable cutter 20. This cutter is mounted on a shaft 21, supported in amovable bearing 22, which'bearing is adjustable by a kind of:ball and socket joint arrangement in the-piece 23, constituting a portion of the side 6. The arrangement of these parts is such that the cutter 20 can be adjusted to any desired an le with reference to the plane of the material-to be oper ated upon.

For lubricating the under side-of the strip of the material to be operated upon, there 1s provided in advance of the" receiving end of the device 3 a pad of felt, or other suitable material, 30. This pad projects from a holder 31, which holder is mounted on .a swinging arm 32 operated by a toggle .joint lever mechanism 33, iby means of which it may be'lowered out of operative ,position. The whole device E is vertically adjustable to adapt to line with the rolls Aby means The first set of rolls A (see Fig. 6) consists I of a grooved roll and a ribbed roll the latter adapted to enter the groove of the former, and the .forms of the rolls being such as to turn in the edges of the strip of material to a circle or curvature, substantially that of the completed tube (see Fig. 12). The

second set of rolls, B, (see Fig. 7.) also consists of a grooved roll and ribbed roll, and, as compared with the former set, the set B has a groove and rib for giving a oompara tively sharp bend to the middle of the strip of material, and forming it to a portion of a circle of a less diameter than the circle of the finished tube (see Fig. 13). The set C of rolls (see Fig. 8) consists of two grooved rolls, and, in addition, the face of the lower roll is adapted to enter the groove of the upper roll to some extent. The groove in the lower roll is, as to its working face,

' curved or circular and formed on a circle of less diameter than the completed tube (see Fig. 14). The grooved or working face in the upper roll is formed on a circle of larger diameter than that of the lower roll.

, The set of rolls D (see Fig. 9) each have to move the strip through the device 3.

the time that the side plepes fi .are closed in,

' up to t starts to move forward, they will cut into the grooved faces, and the grooves are of semicircular shape and the two together adapted to form a circle of substantially the same diameter as that of the completed tube.

The operation of the machine is, as follows: In starting a strip, the operator, with a suitable wrench, turns the shaft 9 so as to spread or separate the sides 6-, 6 and move back, and

,thereby elevate the clamping plate 4 away from the face of the table 3. The end of the the edge trimmers or cutters 20 are moved e edges'of the strip and as the strip edge and begin to perform the office of trim Fig. 12 and indicate the edges a, a are turned. inwardly to a segmentof the circle, substantially that of the ming'ofl the edge for which they are intended. The stri of material to be operated upon is roug y represented in Fi 10 of the drawing, and indicated X; ifter being'operate'd on by the cutters 20, itJis shown in Fig. 11 and indicated by X. After passing through the first set of rolls A, the

form of the strip is a roximately shown in y X. In this form completed tube. In the pass through the rolls B, the stri is given a comparatively sharp bend in t e middle. After the strip has passed-through the mu B, it is of ap indicated by X. It has, curvature at the middle, as indicated at b, of less diameter than the circle of the completed tube. In

the pass through the rolls C, the tube is closed in to the oval form shown in Fig. 14., with the meeting edges in the large end of the oval. In the final pass through the rolls D, the tube is given a complete circular form and there is obtained a tube wherein there is 'a tension or. spring pressin'gthe meeting edges proximately the form shown in Fig. 13 and together, and the common tendency to spring apart at the edges is obviated. At t e meeting edges, the tube will have a V sha ed groove, which is adapted to be filled Wit suitable brazing mixture, and after being heat-ed, the edges are thereby brazed together, forming a complete tube.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a tube forming machine,'the combination with the set of drawing and forming rolls of a tension and guiding device, consisting of a fixed table and a clamping plate and edge-guides for the strip of materialarranged in" advance of the said rolls, substantially as set forth. 1 1

2. In a-tube forming machine,.the combination with the drawing and forming rolls of a guide and tensioned device, consisting of a fixed table, a clamping plate and adjustable slide plates operating in connection with the fixed table, and edged trimmingcutters provided at. the delivery end of the fixed table, substantially as set forth.

3. In a tube forming machine, a set of rolls for formin tube in four passes, the first pair formed an adapted to o erat'e to turn in the edges of the strip to su stantially the curvature of the finished tube, the second pair formedand adapted to operate to give a relatively sharp transverse bend to the middle portion of the strip and bring it to a curvature less than that of the completed tube, the third pair formed and adapted .to close the tube into an oval form with the meeting edges in the larger end of the oval, and the fourth pair formed and adapted to give a final circular form to the tube and expand or open the sharp bend formed-by the second pair of'rolls, substantially as set forth.

4. A tube forming machine comprising an adjustable (guide, a pair of oppositel placed, angularly isposed rotary scarfing ives, a pair of rolls, one of which. is vertically movable relative to the other, together with successive-pairs of shaping rolls, the last pair of which have concavities on their surfaceand of such shape thatpress'ure will be exerted.

upon'the topiand bottom ofthe shaped tube fed between them.

' e. A tubeforming machine'comprising aguide, means for scarfin .the sides of the strip fed throughthe'gui e, a series of pairs 130' of rolls, the first pair adapted to exert a pre- I pair, and a guiding and scarfing attachment liminzrry pressure upon the material to be l vertically and laterally adjustable relative to acted upon before rolling and the last pair of the rolls. rolls adapted to exert pressure only upon the In witness whereof, I have affixed my sig- 5 top and bottom of the tubular body fed be- 5 nature, in presence of two witnesses, this 15 tween them. 3rd day of Aug. 1903. v

' 6. A tube forming machine, comprising a i LESTER 0. SMITH. series of adjustable rolls with one roll of the \Vitnesses: first pair adapted to be given a, quick vertical 1 H. J. ROWLAND,

10 movement relative to the opposite roll of the 1 JOHN E. BIELBY. 

